Trump's game plan: President Donald Trump is coming back to Ohio on Monday before the election, but instead of heading to a more conservative part of the state, Trump picked the Democratic stronghold of Cleveland for his rally. Cleveland.com's Seth A. Richardson analyzes why Trump picked Cleveland as opposed to more fertile Republican ground.

Cordray's Vices: HBO's Vice News Tonight followed around Democrat Richard Cordray on the campaign trail in Ohio in a piece highlighting how Republicans, including Mike DeWine, have completely switched their tone on health care. As late as 2017, the GOP was still calling for the outright repeal of Obamacare, but as the Vice piece points out, candidates are now running ads saying they support provisions of the law.

Past or present? Is 2018 more like 2016 or 2006? That's the question on everyone's mind right now, including the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jessie Balmert, who looked at all the factors at play in two elections that shifted the political dynamics in Ohio.

Water cycle: The Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission has delayed - again - declaring eight Lake Erie watersheds destressed, stalling an order by Gov. John Kasich. The water wars pit Kasich against agricultural interests, cleveland.com's Laura Hancock writes.

Kasich speaks up: Kasich has at least one post-election speaking engagement in Ohio. He will appear at the City Club of Cleveland on Dec. 4. This is the part where we point out that presidential hopefuls love making stops at the famed First Amendment organization.

He's not running? One thing Ohioans have been asking since President Trump's election is whether Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown would make a run for the presidency. Brown has consistently said he has no interest in seeking the White House, but most people who want to run for president don't announce it two years out. However, Perry Bacon Jr. Of FiveThirtyEight looked at how all the potential 2020 candidates were acting and thinks Brown might stay on the sideline.

But she might: Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in Ohio on Thursday campaigning for Cordray, per cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer. Warren rallied students at Ohio State University and, as Pelzer writes, "The potential 2020 presidential contender didn't disappoint ..."

Rader Time: Two national outlets included Democratic 14th Congressional District hopeful Betsy Rader as part of their national coverage. USA Today listed Rader as one of the "badass" women bucking the limitations of female candidates in the past. Meanwhile, Time explored the shift in public opinion on health care and how that's playing out in Rader's race against Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce.

Rainbow wave: While much of the 2018 focus has been on the unprecedented number of women running, 10 openly-LGBT candidates are also seeking office in Ohio, reports the Columbus Dispatch's Jessica Wehrman. That's part of a larger trend nationwide of LGBT candidates jumping into the campaign fray.

The one and the only: Vote No Protect Ohio, the anti-Issue 1 campaign, has purchased spots for one television ad featuring a recovering heroin addict who opposes the constitutional amendment. The campaign remains hopeful it will prevail once people look at the details of the proposal.

Issue 1 endorsements: The Ohio Conference of the NAACP endorsed Issue 1, saying it'll address racial disparities in Ohio's justice system, as has the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP,) saying the justice system can't function as intended when inundated with drug cases.

Something serious: Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a crowd in Cleveland that Trump needs to act on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi "sooner rather than later," cleveland.com's Emily Bamforth reports. Gates addressed a number of issues during a luncheon at Cuyahoga Community College, including Khashoggi, the raid to kill Osama bin Laden and what Gates' new life is like as the president of Texas A&M.

Check your phone: Campaigns are using text messages as a way to reach more voters and remind them to get to the polls. Cleveland.com's Olivia Shackleton explains how text messages and digital ads have been used during the midterm elections to get out the vote.

On The Move

Ohio Department of Aging Director Beverley Laubert appointed Erin Pettegrew as the state long-term care ombudsman, whose goal is to give Ohioans a voice in the long-term care they receive. Pettegrew had served as acting ombudsman since December.

Full Disclosure

Five things we learned from Derek Merrin's April 9 financial disclosure statement. Merrin, a Republican from Monclova Township, seeks re-election in House District 47.

1. Last year he earned $60,583.68 in the Ohio House. He reported earning $10,000 to $24,999 on one rental property and $1,000 to $9,999 each on three others.

2. He has a business, Merrin Property Holdings LLC.

3. He owns shares of 3M, Newmont Mining, United Parcel Service and Hewlett Packard, among others.

4. He owed at some point last year more than $1,000 each to Key Bank, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Ditech Financial, Directions Credit Union, Ford Motor Co., Chase and Russell and Normal Merrin. Four people owed him at least $1,000 at some point last year.

5. For travel, the House reimbursed Merrin $4,109.04 for mileage between home and Columbus. He had $766.47 in travel associated with the Family Policy Foundation, which promotes "Biblical citizenship," $820.95 in travel associated with the conservative and libertarian Heartland Institute and $1,184.42 with the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC.

Straight From The Source

"They are always campaigning for office even when they don't know what it is."

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